Boehringer Ingelheim biosimilar candidate to Humira accepted for EMA and FDA regulatory review.

Boehringer Ingelheim announced that BI 695501, its adalimumab biosimilar candidate to Humira, has been accepted for regulatory review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We believe that if approved, BI 695501 can provide a valuable treatment option for the people affected by inflammatory diseases in the U.S. and Europe,” said Ivan Blanarik, senior vice president and head of therapeutic area biosimilars, Boehringer Ingelheim. “The acceptance of our first biosimilar regulatory filings by the FDA and EMA is an important milestone towards offering a high-quality treatment choice to patients and physicians while contributing to the sustainability of healthcare systems.”

Boehringer Ingelheim is seeking approval for BI 695501 as a biosimilar to Humira in the European Union and the United States. Adalimumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks TNF-α, an important mediator of inflammation in the human body. Adalimumab is approved as a biologic medicine under the brand name Humira in many countries for the treatment of multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis. These disorders collectively affect the lives of 5-10% of the world population including 23.5 million people in the U.S. and approx. 36.3 million people in Europe.

Top-line results from the completed Phase III study for BI 695501 in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were announced on October 26, 2016.

(Source: Business Wire)